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ISLES OF SCILLY BIRD BOARD OCTOBER 2001

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Tel. 01474 871219 On St.Mary's ( Scilly Isles ), 6th -19th Oct

* Digibirding advice / info and lots of great photos on display every evening at the Scillonian Club...come and ask the experts.
* Regular Digibirding displays at the Tolman Cafe and Harbourside Hotel - come and see.
* Talk to us during the day, we will be around the island digibirding and will be showing the photos taken each day in the evening.

The Bird Board will be updated regularly with news and photos from the islands during the whole scilly season. Hit ctrl D to bookmark this page and check back often. PHOTOS ADDED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER - SO SCROLL ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, St Mary's Airport © Bob Flood

Red-backed Shrike Near Old Town Churchyard, St Mary's 05/10/01 © John Judge, Jon Hall, Dave Hall, Pete Hall - 01
Coolpx 990 and Leica APO John's Draycote Birding

1st-winter Brown Shrike, (cristatus or intergrade with lucionensis) Bryher, Scilly, 24th Sept' 2001 © Peter Simpson Nikon Coolpix 995 with Leica Apo scope. Originally identified as a Red-backed Shrike when it was posted on this Surfbirds Isles of Scilly Bird Board on 1st Oct'. However, after it was posted on this site, both the original photographers and some sharp Surfbirds readers began to question the identity of this bird, leading to the identification of England's first Brown Shrike. We welcome comments on the Surfbirds Rarities Newsgroup. You can join here. See more photos of this bird at the bottom of the page Many thanks to Marcus Lawson and Peter Simpson for the photos. ID comments below

October 4th

Snow bunting 1 Daymark St Martins

Rough-legged buzzard Eastern Isles

Firecrest Old Town Church, Holy Vale, Trenoweth

Wryneck Rams Valley

Dotterel 2 on Wingletang, St Agnes

Marsh harrier St Mary's and then Tresco

Buff-breasted sandpiper Airport

Pectoral sandpiper Porth Killier, St Agnes, last seen flying over St Mary's

Magpie St Martins, also visiting Bryher

Spotted crake Tresco

Yellow-browed warbler Parsonage, St Agnes

Ring-necked duck Big Pool, St Agnes

Red-backed shrike Dump, St Mary's

3rd October

Rough-legged buzzard Ganilly, Eastern Isles

Wryneck showing well, Hospital, St Mary's

Dotterel 1 St Agnes

Short-toed lark Browarth, St Agnes

Buff-breasted sandpiper Airport

Magpie St Martins

Spotted crake Tresco

Yellow-browed warbler Parsonage, St Agnes

Sabines gull 1 from pelagic south of the islands

Grey phalarope 4 from pelagic

Great skua, Arctic skua and Storm petrel also seen

Ring-necked duck Porth Hellick

American sparrow sp seen briefly at Sandybanks, St Mary's. Initially thought to be a Song sparrow but not seen subsequently

Monarch 2 Tresco, 1 St Mary's

Rough-legged Buzzard Eastern Isles 03/10/01 © John Judge, Jon Hall, Dave Hall, Pete Hall - Nikon Coolpix 990 and Focus Optics adapter with a Zeiss 10x25 monocular from a rocking boat!! John's Draycote Birding

Wryneck St Mary's near Hospital 03/10/01 © John Judge, Jon Hall, Dave Hall, Pete Hall- taken with a Nikon Coolpix 990 and Leica APO John's Draycote Birding

October 2nd

Rough-legged buzzard Tresco then St Martins

Short-toed lark 1 Browarth St Agnes

Shorelark 1 Porthcoose/Burnt island St Agnes

Wryneck 1 Hospital St Mary's, 1 Newford St Mary's

Yellow-browed warbler 1 Parsonage St Agnes

Magpie St Martins

Marsh Harrier 1 Pelistry St Mary's

Grey phalarope 2 between St Agnes and St Mary's

Dotterel 2 St Agnes

Spotted crake 1 Tresco

Red-backed shrike 1 Dump/Sandybanks St Mary's

Ring-necked Duck 1st winter male, Watermill then St Agnes Big pool

Short-toed Lark, St Agnes, 2nd Oct' 2001 © John Judge, Jon Hall, Dave Hall, Pete Hall -taken with a coolpix 990 and Leica APO John's Draycote Birding

Ring-necked Duck, St Agnes, 2nd Oct' 2001 © John Judge, Jon Hall, Dave Hall, Pete Hall -taken with a coolpix 990 and Leica APO John's Draycote Birding

Mediterranean Gull, St Marys 30th Sept' 2001 © John Judge, Jon Hall, Dave Hall, Pete Hall -taken with a coolpix 990 and Leica APO John's Draycote Birding

Ist October 2001

Wryneck - 1 Garrison & 1 Health Centre

Yellow - browed warbler - 1 Parsonage St.Agnes

Richard's Pipit - 2 Old Town area

Firecrest - 2 St.Mary's

Red - Backed Shrike - Dump

Blackpoll Warbler - reported Parsonage, St.Agnes this eve

Grey Phalarope - 153 off Kettle Point, Tresco

Jack Snipe, Porthellick and juvenile Dotterel, St.Agnes, 29th September 2001 copyright Dave Curtis - taken with a Nikon CP990 thru Kowa 613-20-60x zoom

Rose-coloured Starling, Bryher, Scilly, 25th Sept' 2001 © Marcus Lawson Taken with a Coolpix 990 through a Leica APO televid with an Eagle Eye adaptor

Ortolan Bunting, Tresco, Scilly, 28th Sept' 2001 © Marcus Lawson Taken with a Coolpix 990 through a Leica APO televid with an Eagle Eye adaptor

1st-winter Brown Shrike,, Bryher, Scilly, 24th Sept' 2001 © Marcus Lawson Taken with a Coolpix 990 through a Leica APO televid with an Eagle Eye adaptor

Tim Worfolk's initial comments:
"It's got to be a Brown. Structurally it's all wrong for Red-backed - look at the primary projection, 5 (should be 7 or 8 on Red-backed), and the outer tail feather! Assuming the picture doesn't totally distort the colours it's also spot on for Brown and way wrong for Red-backed."

As to the possibility of phoenicuroides?
"I have to agree there's certainly a chance, if the colours are in any way distorted. But I would still expect a greater contrast between mantle and rump-tail, particularly as the crown looks warmish. The warmer crown and the rather whitish underparts do favour phoenicuroides, as does the suggestion of a tiny PP patch (though not unknown in cristatus). However, I still feel that the PP projection - 5 - strongly points to Brown."

After seeing extra pics:
"I'm now confident that it's a Brown, but nominate cristatus, not lucionensis (the warm-toned crown on this bird is very obvious)."

Lars Svensson's Initial Comments:
I looked at the fine photographs of the possible Brown Shrike at Scilly on 24.9. I fully agree that it is a Brown Shrike, but would like you not to rule out ssp. cristatus too quickly from the discussion. My memory of first-winter nominate variation is that it fits with the looks of this bird.

More comments by Paul Leader below
"Well, it's an obvious Brown Shrike isn't it! Obvious if you've seen loads of course! It looks like lucionensis, but I wonder if it is a bit over-exposed."